Posted By Beth Carpenter On December 28, 2010 @ 12:36 pm In Notebook | No Comments

Most of us have been through a snowstorm or ten in our lifetimes, so this won’t be anything new, but just in case you’re new to this latest weather drama, our Twitter followers are throwing out lots of helpful tips, like this:Jim Vlock’s vision is fading, but he’s found some high-tech ways to get around it: “We had been spending all our time focusing on a possible cure — stem cells, laser treatments, injections — we were willing to go to the ends of the earth. We didn’t want to live in a land of resignation. We thought there must be something out there to help. But like most of medicine, the specialists we consulted were not knowledgeable about helping you live your life without a pill or scalpel.”“I don’t mean to be gushy about it, but they potentially saved my life.” Maureen Murray on new high-risk pools for the already sick, both a “boon and a heartbreak” to those finding themselves without coverage.Meanwhile, thanks for the effort, everyone – we’re doing our best to shop ourselves out of this recession! “Americans are splurging as though it’s 2007 again. Shoppers spent more money this holiday season than even before the recession, according to preliminary retail data released on Monday.”Can a city declare bankruptcy? “The political leaders of this old working-class city almost surrounded by Detroit are pleading with the state to let them declare bankruptcy, a desperate move the state is not even willing to admit as an option under the current circumstances.”Nonprofits are trying to find the bright side on foreclosures, reselling cleaned-up houses to first-time buyers: “The disabled Vietnam veteran and his wife bought the house after the renovation was complete and got a completely updated home for below market value. The mortgage payment will be much less than the $900 a month they were paying in rent.”“When black college students began the sit-in protests that led to the integration of the Jim Crow South, news spread quickly by word of mouth. Soon, students in several states were engaged in similar nonviolent sit-ins, spurring on the civil rights movement.Fast forward 50 years: Civil rights activists advocating everything from reform of the criminal justice system to boycotts of conservative media figures are trying to revive that kind of energy using tweets, e-mails, Facebook friends and carefully crafted blog postings.”